After the Jump
by HushPuppyKid
Summary: Life is pretty sweet after Ralph's Big Jump, but nothing lasts forever...


Business was booming at Litwak's Arcade. Had never been better. Ever since Ralph's medal-seeking escapades, a general harmony was formed among the games, Good Guys and Bad Guys alike, and it was certainly reflected in their gameplay. Following Fix-It Felix, Jr's lead, others had taken in and employed the homeless characters to create some seriously killer bonus levels. People often speculated as to where these extra levels came from. The players had agreed that Mr. Litwak had upgraded the games to bring in new business. Mr. Litwak came to the conclusion that kids these days were simply better gamers than their predecessors and were able to unlock hidden features. With his sudden success, he was content with his theory and left it at that.

Life was good. Fears of being unplugged were alleviated, and in fact, Mr. Litwak had needed to make more room in his arcade to fit more games so he could accommodate all the new business. He even needed to hire his nephew to help out on weekends. It wasn't just kids anymore, either. The arcade had become a popular date night spot, or parents' night out for nostalgic adults. Humans and characters alike were as happy as could be.

"_The Arcade is now closed."_

After a long, yet satisfying, day of work, Ralph stood up from the mud. He brushed himself off quickly and waved to the Nicelanders as they milled about the apartment building. Everyone returned his friendliness, although Gene seemed a little awkward with his smile-and-wave. Ralph knew that he still felt embarrassed about their interactions before the Big Jump, but he never mentioned it. He didn't want him to feel worse than he already did. Honestly, his and Gene's disagreement at the anniversary party was the big push that set things in motion, so in a weird way, he was secretly grateful to him. But he would never mention that either.

"Hey, partner!" Felix walked up to Ralph, his expression bright and bushy-tailed as usual. "Good work there today!"

"You, too, pint-size." Ralph chuckled. He enjoyed using Calhoun's pet names to tease his friend.

Felix flushed slightly with a bit of the honeyglow. He and Calhoun had been married for a while now, but he still reacted like a newlywed at the thought of her. His giddiness was a part of his programming, after all.

"I'm just teasing ya'," Ralph said as he punched him in the arm, as lightly as he could, but it still made Felix flinch a little. "So, what are you up to tonight?"

"Actually, the missus and I are grabbing a bite at Burger Time. Any chance you'd like to join us?"

Ralph gladly accepted the invitation. He never got over the good feeling of having friends. "Sounds great! Just let me clean up a bit and I'll meet you over there."

"Okey dokey!" Felix gave a quick hop and then headed towards the train station.

Ralph made his way to the avenue of townhouses that were built for all the bonus characters. His little shack was just next to it, on the edge of the dump. He could have lived in a penthouse of his own, but when it came down it, it was hard to leave his dump. He had been there for over thirty years. He might eventually move to a nicer place, but for now, he took some comfort in old habits.

Although, a new and much appreciated habit was showering. He had made sure to include a bathroom when he built his shack. The first time someone hadn't moved back three feet when he opened his mouth during a conversation, he became a devout follower of proper hygiene. Vanellope still made jokes about his stench, but he never took it personally. He would never be rid of his signature musk, although now it was nowhere near as offensive.

After washing up, Ralph took the familiar ride to Game Central Station. Characters greeted him instead of jumping out the way as he walked through the crowd. It felt good. It was hard to keep himself from grinning. Since the Big Jump, he had become somewhat of a celebrity. Paparazzi weren't chasing him everywhere, but everyone knew who he was and what he had done.

He took a quick glance at the Game Central Station message board as he passed by. The schedule for Bad Guy-Anon was hanging in its usual spot. Tapper's Tavern had posted a "1 Coin Root Beer Night" flyer. Sugar Rush had pinned up a sign sheet for a ski trip at its Sno-Cap Mountains (_Act Now! Limited Spots!) _He felt a little guilty at that one. He knew Vanellope still couldn't leave her game. Making the decision to keep her glitching abilities meant she had to take the bad with the good. It was obvious it didn't bother her, but she was always planning events, like the ski-trip. If she couldn't visit other games, she would bring other games to her.

Ralph smiled as he fondly thought of her relentless optimism. He would make sure to stop by Sugar Rush after dinner if she could manage to pull herself away from her presidential duties, which usually included endless hours of racing and letting Sour Bill handle most of the paperwork. He made it a point to visit a least a couple times a week.

"Wreck-It!"

Calhoun's authoritative voice carried across all the noise and Ralph saw her waving him into Burger Time. Felix was right next to her, his goofy smile still plastered on his face. Ralph waved back, ambled on over to the couple, and joined them at a table. They were making small talk when Chef Peter Pepper appeared tableside.

"Hey, how's this crew doing tonight?" He asked warmly.

A short conversation followed between him and Felix about all the good business for more "retro" games before he took their order.

"The usual," Calhoun said, holding up three fingers. "Three burgers for the table."

Chef Pepper happily clapped his hands together. "Splendid!" Then he cast a shifty gaze to his sides before leaning down close to the table. "Hey, uh, listen… I got something new, but I'm only offering it to extra special customers, you what I mean?"

"Why, no, I'm afraid I don't," Felix replied, wide-eyed.

"Well, if you want it, I can give you some cheese on those burgers. And a side of fries, too."

Calhoun cocked an eyebrow. "Cheese and fries? How'd you swing that, Pepper?"

Chef Pepper lowered his voice even more. "Well, it turns out that Mr. Pickle is actually a whiz with computers and coding and all that-"

"YOU'RE MESSING WITH THE CODE?" Ralph shouted. He hadn't meant to be so loud, but he was shocked to hear what the chef was admitting to him.

"SHHH!"

No one had seemed to pay attention to the exchange. Once convinced that no one had heard, he continued. "No, no, no! Nothing like that!" He held up his hands in defense. "We didn't change anything, just added a couple things. You know how long we've been doing this game? We thought we deserved a little change. And it _is _just a little change. And we're only offering it to our most valued customers."

Ralph, Felix, and Calhoun exchanged glances. Calhoun shrugged. "You have to admit, it's kinda sad when someone gets all excited about a slice of cheese. Seems harmless enough."

Chef Pepper looked hopefully at Ralph, who eventually conceded, exhaling deeply. "All right, all right. Make that three cheeseburgers, Chef."

Chef Pepper put his hand on Ralph's shoulder with an admirable expression. "You know, Ralph, I never even would have known that Mr. Pickle is so talented if it weren't for you." And with that, he walked away to get their order.

**A/N: **So, I have a general idea of where this story is going, but at the same time, I'm just kind of winging it. This first part was just to kind of set things up. I hope it's well received. I'm just starting to get back into writing, and I'm using this fan fiction as some practice. Peace and love!


End file.
